Taekook Oneshots

Royal Meeting

"Mina, Hyeri, Sojin, Yura, Mother, Father, I would like to introduce you to my latest suitor."

I'm nervous. I've been waiting for this meeting, ever since I made the decision that this particular relationship would last. My parents already know my interest in men, and have accepted without question that there will be two kings in the next generation of royals. As long as someone in the family has children, whether biological or not, they're happy.

It's been a long time since I had a connection with someone that was so strong that I was willing to let them meet my family. A lot of the time, the people I meet want to use me in order to get further in society, and I can often tell when that is the case. But, with this particular individual, I was the one to start the official relationship. So I know that he's not in it for the attention or the money, or the status.

He's there because he actually wants to be with me. And I can feel it, this time, the promise of forever. And maybe I'm a child who doesn't understand love, or maybe I know what I'm talking about for the first time. But it certainly seems like the real thing this time.

My sisters smile at the same time. They're remarkably powerful women, who've earned respect on their own right, not out of status or intimidation. All of them are fierce warriors, who've known how to fight since they were little girls. These aren't your typical princesses. Oh no. These are badass women, stronger than many men, dressed in practical dresses, no fancy or elaborate decoration, swords sheathed at a belt in the waist.

They wear high boots, for horse-riding, simple bands in their hair to keep it away from their face. Their eyes are hard with battle-gained wisdom, and they aren't wearing tonnes of glittery jewellery or a fragile flower crown. These aren't porcelain fairies. These are strong fighters, with keen interests and protective natures.

These are my sisters. All four of them are my role models. They always have been.

"It's been a long time since we've met any of the men you've been meeting with," Minah says, her voice an average pitch, her tone calm, with a faint interest running through it. She's the second oldest of the five of us, and she's often the most curious of us all. "I'm intrigued. What makes him so special?"

"Hopefully, you will consent to meeting him. I've been wanting to arrange this for a long time, but he said it was best to wait. And now I am more certain. He seems to care more than the others, if that makes any sense. He just seems more real to me. And I'd like you to see that. Hopefully you will agree with me."

Hyeri smiles. My little sister is less protective than the others, but that's partially due to the fact that she's still quite young, and also she's just more curious. She's more willing to take risks, more interested in looking at every single possibility. Which can be quite refreshing sometimes, in all honesty. "I don't see why we shouldn't."

The rest of them nod quietly in agreement, and so I turn around and signal to one of the guards, who opens the door and ushers in my current suitor. Well, I see him as my boyfriend now, but that's something that will be official in the eyes of my parents over time. They like to test the men I choose. Not because they don't trust me. But because they want to make sure I get the man who works with me best. He doesn't need to be perfect, or massively wealthy. But he does need to make me happy, and be in it for the long run.

He stands in front of the six of them in his best clothes, meeting the scrutiny in their gazes with similar curiosity. He's not particularly wealthy, sure, and I don't really know how he managed to work his way into my heart, but he's beautiful in his own way.

His clean face is golden from working in the sun, his black hair slightly bleached by the effects of its rays, so that he has faint brown streaks through it. He's wearing a simple white shirt and brown breeches, but there's a strength to his stance that makes him stunning despite the lack of complexity to his outfit. Round his neck, he wears a simple leather necklace, stringed with various faded beads, each a different colours.